Chairs



Oct. 18, 1960 c EAMES ETAL 2,95 8

CHAIRS Original Filed March 5,- 195a 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 y INVENTORS,

CHARLES EAMES, DON ALB/NSON, DALE W. BAUER A TTOR/VE Y 13, 1960 v c.EAMES ETAL 2,956,618

CHAIRS l Original Filed March s, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS,CHARLES EAMES, 001v ALB/NSON, DALE w BAUER A r rom rs Y CHAIRS Originalapplication Mar. 5, 1956, Ser. No. 569,424. and this application July23, 1958, Ser. No.

6 Claims. (Cl. 155-130) This invention relates to furniture constructionand more particularly to an improved chair. This invention also appliesto improved chairs capable of being vertically stacked one on anotherfor storage purposes and which can be joined together in orderly rowswhen in use.

This application is a division of our co-pending appli cation Serial No.569,424, filed March 5, 1956, entitled Chairs, now Patent No. 2,893,469,issued July 7, 1959.

The chair of this invention is suitable for public seating use, such asauditoriums, schools, meeting houses, and churches. In suchinstitutional applications it is desirable to use a large group ofchairs which can be temporarily placed and then removed for compactstorage. Chairs suitable for this use are of numerous types and designs.One type is the folding chair. Another is adapted to being stacked oneon another in vertical columns without folding. The stacking type ofchair is preferable over the folding type because of its comfort.However, stacking chairs have not found ready acceptance because theylack certain essential features.

One disadvantage of stacking chairs is that they are usually heavierthan folding chairs because of the structure required to stack them oneon another. If the structure for supporting the chairs in a verticalstack is not sufficiently strong, it will not bear the load of thechairs it supports. Thus, stacking chairs have been considered eithertoo heavy, too cumbersome for stacking vertically,

rates atent O or not sufliciently strong for making a high verticalstack.

This invention is directed to providing a chair which is comparativelylight and adapted both in strength and stability for stacking purposes.

Another object of this invention is to provide chairs which can beeasily and temporarily joined together, thus, automatically controllingtheir alignment and spacing.

A further object of this invention is to provide a lightweight yetstrong and comfortable chair requiring a minimum of servicing since itis not readily subject to damage or breakage.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a chair having asupporting frame constructed of a minimum number of parts, thus beingcapable of easy fabrication, assembly, handling, and replacement ofparts.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a construction forchairs permitting the chairs to be compactly stacked one upon another.The stacks formed by these chairs are relatively stable, thus reducingthe danger of the stacks collapsing or tipping over.

Another object of this invention is to provide chairs having a simplemeans for locking them together without the use of tools.

Other objects of my invention will become obvious upon reading thefollowing specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawingswherein:

Fig. 1 is an oblique side elevational view of the chair.

Fig. 2 is a partial, side elevational view of the chair showing thesupporting and locking structure.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, front, elevational, sectional "ice Fig. 4 is afragmentary, front elevational, sectional View of a loop taken along theplane IV-IV of Fig. 6.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, front elevational view of the side legs of twochairs illustrating the means for hooking chairs together.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the supportingstructure illustrating a leg brace having a loop extending therefrom.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the supporting structure for the chair seatshowing the seat in phantom.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of two chairs stacked oneupon another.

Briefly, this invention concerns chair construction. The construction issimple including identical front and rear leg structures, each having apair of legs connected together at the top by a cross piece. The seat ofthe chair is supported by these cross pieces. A brace'is fixedly securedto each side between the front and rear legs. The side braces aresecured to the legs at points spaced out wardly from the marginal sideedges of the seat. Thus the legs are permitted to pass on each side ofthe marginal edges of the seat. The leg braces extend outwardly from theouter sides of the legs to provide a supporting surface on whichcorresponding leg braces can rest. Thus, the seats can be stacked, oneupon another, to form a compact and stable stack of chairs.

Throughout this specification, in describing the chair the wordsinwardly and outwardly are used. 'Inwardly shall be taken to means awayfrom the center of the seat. Front means toward the front of the chairor to the left as shown in Fig. 2. Rearward of thechair means toward theback of the chair or to the right as shown in Fig. 2. Other terms suchas horizontal and vertical are used as meaning horizontal or vertical tothe floor or surface on which the chair rests.

, Referring to the drawings, reference numeral 1- in dicates one of thechairs including the seat or shell 10 and the support structure 20.

The shell 10 is of a reinforced synthetic fiber resin. It is moldedunder heat and pressure to give the desired shape. Preferably the edgesare additionally reinforced to prevent splitting. The resins mostconventionally used are polyesters of various colored pigmentation.Thefibers most commonly used are filamentary glass. The shell 10 isshaped to conform to the body contour of an average person. The materialis somewhat resilient, making the chair comfortable.

The plastic material from which the chair is made is relatively light.It is not readily subject to damage or breakage because of itsresiliency. It has high impact and surface abrasion resistance. Changesin moisture content of the air will not affect it. It is vermin proofand may be readily cleaned with soap and water or a. damp cloth.

The base or supporting frame 20 includes a front standard or legstructure 21 and a rear standard or leg structure 22. Each of thesestructures is identical. Each is formed from a single piece of tubularmetal. Thefront leg structure 21 includes the two legs 23 and 24 joinedat the top by a cross piece consisting of the downwardly and inwardlyextending side portions 25 and the intermediate horizontal straightportion 26 (Figs. 1 and 7). The rear leg structure 22 consists of thetwo rear legs 27 and 28 connected at their tops by the cross pieceincluding the downwardly extending end portions 29 and the horizontalintermediate portion 30. I

Mounting straps 31 are secured by welding or any 'othe suitable means tothe cross pieces of the front and rear leg structures 21 and 22. Themounting straps 31 are secured to the downwardly extending end portions25 and 29 immediately adjacent the point where the end portions mergewith the intermediate straight portions 26 and '30.

The ends of the mounting straps are bent upwardly and slightly twistedto provide a supporting surface conforming with the contoured bottomsurface of the shell 10. Holes 32 are provided in the ends of themounting straps through which a screw can be inserted for securing theseat to the mounting straps and thus to the supporting frame.

The mounting straps 31 are secured to the circular shock mounts 33 whichpreferably are adhesively secured to the bottom of the shell. Shockmounts 33 each have an internally threaded female insert adapted toreceive a screw. This shock mount is of similar construction to thatdescribed and claimed in Patent No. 2,649,136.

In the preferred form of this invention, the front legs Band 24 extenddownwardly and forwardly. The rear legs 27 and 28 extend downwardly andrearwardly. The legs are held and supported in this position by the legbraces 40 secured to the outer sides of the legs and by the straps 3 1.The leg braces 40 are fabricated of a heavy gauge wire formed into anelongated ring. A loop 41 is secured to one of the braces 40 (Figs. 4and 7). It extends outwardly from the brace and is adapted to receive ahook 42 mounted to the other brace 40 (Figs. 2, 3 and The loop 41 is aU-shaped, heavy gauge wire secured to the top cross wire 43 of one ofthe rings 40 (Fig. 4). The hook 42 is also a heavy gauge wire having twolegs 44 parallel to each other and connected by the U-shaped hook 45.The hook 45 extends outwardly from the legs. The legs 44 are secured tothe top and bottom cross wires of one of the rings 40. The width of boththe loop 41 and the hook 45 is such that the hook 45 fits within theloop (Fig. 5). The loop 41 and hook 42 are secured to their respectivebraces 40 by a resistance weld or any other suitable means.

The entire supporting frame 20 may be of aluminum or any other materialbut it is more commonly of tubular steel. The side braces are usually ofa steel wire, however, aluminum or any other suitable material can beused. The mounting straps can be made of any suitable material. All ofthese parts can be suitably plated as with chrome. The shock mounts 33are of rubber or any other resilient material.

The assembled chair It should be evident that the chair of thisinvention is made with a minimum number of parts. These include theidentical front and rear leg structures 21 and 22, the shell 10, themounting straps 31, the shock mounts 33 and the side leg braces 40 alsoidentical except for the means for joining two or more chairs together.The supporting frame 20 is preferably of an all welded construction andit is secured to the shell by screws 47.

The assembled supporting structure is best shown in Figs. 1 and 7. Thefront and rear leg structures 21 and 22 are arranged with the front legs23 and-24 extending downwardly and forwardly. The rear legs 27 and 28extend downwardly and rearwardly. The cross pieces 26 and 30 are spacedone from another (Fig. 7) and are held in that position by the mountingstraps 31 secured thereto by welding or any other suitable means. Theforward and rearward positions of the legs: are maintained by the sidebraces 40, secured at their side portions to the front and rear legs.This attachment is made by welding or any other suitable means. The hook42 and loop 41 extend outwardly from the side braces.

The shock mounts 33 are adhesively secured to the bottom surface of theseat at points which Will permit a screw passing through the hole 32 ofthe mounting strap to be secured in the internally threaded femaleinsert of the shock mount. With these shock mounts 33 properly located,the seat is placed on the shock mounts with the internally threadedfemale inserts aligned with the holes 32. The screws 47 extendingthrough holes 33 are threaded into the inserts of the shock mounts,securin the seat to the supporting frame v The width of the supportingframe, that is, the width of the front and rear leg structures, and thelateral positioning of the side leg braces relative to the side marginaledges of the seat 10 are important. Fig. 7 illustrates thisrelationship. The support frame 20 is shown wider than the seat. This isnecessary to permit the frame to pass over the seat or shell 10 ofanother seat.

The vertical spacing of the side braces 40 is important. Both the upperand lower limits of their vertical position on the legs is establishedat the point which provides effective cross-bracing for the legs and atthe same time provides a means for supporting a chair stacked above it.The side braces index the chairs providing a vertical and stable stackin such a manner that the chair shells are spaced from one another andfrom the frames for protecting the shells against abrasion.

In the preferred form the angular relationship of the legs to each otherand their lateral spacing is limited only by two factors. The legs mustbe able to pass about the shell 10 to permit stacking and the legs ofone chair must not spread laterally sufficiently to interfere with thejoining of one chair to another. However, where the loop and hookarrangement is not used and the chairs are not to be joined, this latterlimitation does not apply.

The position and shape of the side leg braces are important. The bracesare elongated and secured to the legs at approximately the same verticalposition one-third down the legs. In other words the points ofattachment of the leg braces to the legs lie substantially in horizontalplane. This gives symmetry to the chair and at the same time contributesto the stability of a stack formed by such chairs. The side braces,being located approximately one-third down the leg, provide a supportsurface on which the brace of the upper chair can rest upon the brace ofthe chair beneath. This support surface is long enough in a horizontaldirection to prevent the stacked chairs from tipping forwardly orbackwardly.

When the chairs are stacked one upon another as shown in Fig. 8, thebottom cross-piece of the side braces 40 of one chair rests directly onthe top cross-piece of the side braces of the chair beneath it. The sidebraces 40 have an adequate cross section so that-they extend asufficient distance outwardly from the leg to provide an adequatesupporting surface.

A plurality of these chairs may be joined together, while in use,depending upon the wishes of the user. If they are to be joined, theuser simply lifts one chair a short distance and engages the hook 45into the loop- 41 of the adjacent chair. Any number of chairs can behooked together in this fashion. When joined together, the spacing andalignment of the chairs is automatically determined. This has severalobvious advantages. On the other hand, the chairs can be usedindividually and despite the joining feature, having a pleasingappearance.

It is significant that the braces on the side of the legs serve severalfunctions while at the same time giving a good and pleasing appearanceto the chair. The braces provide means for joining several chairstogether in orderly manageable rows. They serve as braces for the legs.They index, support, and provide clearance for the various componentsofthe chair when stacked in vertical rows.

The plastic seat of this chair is: more attractive than conventionalchairs designed for temporary use and stored. It requires no maintenancesuch as re-upholstering or spring replacement.

After the chairs have been used and it is desired to store them in acompact storage area, the chairs are quickly separated simply by liftingand stacking one on another in a manner shown in Fig. 8. The leg bracesrest on each other, maintaining positive spacing between the shells andpreventing any scratching or marring of the shells. At the same time, acompact stack of chairs is obtained since the side braces, collectively,form a supporting column on each side of the stack. Because of thestrength of the chair and the features previously described, the stackis stable allowing the stack to be made relatively high without dangerof tipping or collapsing.

Another advantage of this invention is the structural disassociation ofthe leg structure or base from the seat structure. Should either bedamaged, it alone may be replaced without the expense of purchasing theother component. The substitution is both quick and simple since onlythe four screws 47 are involved.

Having described our invention, it should be realized that there isprovided a simple, strong and lightweight chair made with a minimum ofparts adapted to quick and inexpensive mass assembly methods. The chaircan be used with other chairs and locked thereto for forming straightrows of chairs and for preventing the chairs from being dispersedthroughout the entire hall in which they are being used.

It should be understood that in describing this invention certainfeatures have been described which do not necessarily constitute a partof this invention. Further, various other embodiments can be made ofthis invention which will be entirely within the spirit of thisinvention. These embodiments and modifications are covered by this invention unless the appended claims expressly state otherwise.

We claim:

1. In a chair construction of the type having a seat and a pair of legsextending downwardly from each side thereof, means for detachablysecuring such chairs in a row, comprising: a hook means rigidlysupported by each leg of one of said pairs of legs; said hook meansbeing rigid and having a first portion projecting generally horizontallyfrom the plane passing through said one pair of legs and a secondportion extending from said first portion in a direction generallyparallel to said plane; said second portion of said hook means includingat least two spaced surfaces, each of said surfaces positioned generallyequidistantly outwardly from said plane and generally equidistantly fromthe bottoms of said legs; a hook receiving means rigidly supported byeach leg of the other of said pairs of legs; said hook receiving meansbeing rigid and positioned in generally the same horizontal plane assaid hook means whereby said hook receiving means receives therebehind asecond portion of a similar hook means of an adjacent chair uponvertical movement of one chair with respect to the other, at least saidhook receiving means being elongated and extending a major 6 distancebetween the legs by which it is supported whereby easy two pointengagement of the spaced surfaces of said hook means with said hookreceiving means is facilitated.

2. A chair construction as defined in claim 1, said second portioncomprised of an elongated wirelike member bent such that the extremitiesthereof extend generally perpendicularly from the body thereof, and saidfirst portion comprises the ends of said extremities, bent to extendtoward said plane.

3. The chair construction of claim 1 in which the hook means is onepiece and elongated and extends a major distance between the legs bywhich it is supported.

4. The chair construction of claim 1 in which there is a pair of bracemeans, one brace means extending between and secured to each leg of oneof said pairs of legs and the other brace means extending between andsecured to each leg of the other of said pairs of legs; said hook meansformed to extend outwardly from the one brace means and said hookreceiving means being fiormed to extend outwardly from the other bracemeans.

5. The device of claim 4 in which the braces are constructed of wire andsaid hook means and hook receiving means are Wire elements separate fromthe Wire braces but secured thereto.

6. The device of claim 5 in which the braces are wire rings; the hookmeans is a U-shaped wire member having its extremities secured to onewire brace and the bight portion bent to form a hook; and said hookreceiving means is a U-shaped wire member having its extremities securedto the other Wire brace with the bight portion formed into a loop.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,618,737 Turner Feb. 22, 1927 2,271,007 Hanna Jan. 27, 1942 2,313,245Kent Mar. 9, 1943 2,569,555 Chanslor et al Oct. 2, 1951 2,893,469 Earneset al July 7, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 380,469 Italy May 15, 1940 588,880Great Britain June 5, 1947 605,035 Great Britain July 14, 1948 637,911Great Britain May 31, 1950

